Mail-box.



A. H. AGKMAN.

MAIL BOX.

APPLICATION FILED APR.29. 1914.

Patented Jan. 5, 1915.

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ALBERT H. ACKMAN, OF BILLE'IT, ILLINOIS.

MAIL-BOX.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J an. 5, 1915.-

Applieation filed April 29, 1914. Serial No. 835,289.

To n7Z Whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT H. ACKMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Billett, in the county of Lawrence, State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Boxes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains, to make an use the same,

This invention relates to mail boxes such as are used on the rural free delivery routes and has particular reference to the provision of a novel form of signal staff'adapted to perform new and manifold functions.

It is a well known fact that in most of the types of mail boxes in ordinary use, there is provided a flat bottom upon which mail is placed for collection by the mail carrier. l Vhen a thin piece of mail, as for instance, a letter, and especially a post-card, is placed upon such a flat bottom, it lies so flat that it is a difficult matter for the carrier to grasp the card for removing it from the box. This is especially true in winter when the carriers hands are either stiff and numb from the cold or else hampered by more or less thick gloves.

The object of the present invention is broadly to obviate this extremely annoying and time consuming disadvantage by providing a mail box equipped with means for elevating the outer end of a piece of mail when the signal is set to indicate the presence of mail within the box.

Another and important object is to provide an improved signal staff of such construction that it is capable of being quickly and easily raised to its signaling position and which will retain its different positions regardless of the violence of the wind.

\Vith these and other objects in view, such as simplicity, durability, cheapness, efficiency and the general improvement of the art, my invention consists in the novel construction and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a mail box equipped with my invention, Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view therethrough, Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view therethrough showing the signal raised, by full lines, and lowered, by dotted lines, and Fig. 4 is a perspective View of my device removed from the box.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the numeral 5 designates as a whole, an ordinary form of mail boxcomprising a bottom (3, side walls 7, a top 8, and a hinged door 9 adapted to be locked in the usual manner as by a lock and staple 10 as shown. In such a box, mail would of course be placed on the bottom 6 to be collected by the carrier.

In order to elevate the outer end of a letter or post-card within the box to facilitate its collection by the carrier, I provide a combined signal and elevating bar designated as a whole by the numeral 11, which is formed preferably of a single length of springy material such as tempered wire. The end of this member forms a trunnion 12. Adjacent the end, the member 11 is bent at right angles, forming an arm 13, and then rebent to form a horizontal por-' tion 14 parallel with the trunnion 12. It is then bent again, forming an arm 15, and then bent upon itself to form a trunnion 16 in alinement with the trunnion 12. The signal staff is formed by bending the wire again at the trunnion 1G to form a long extending staff 17, upon which is secured the usual flag. target or other suitable signal 18.

The member 11 is mounted within the mail box 12 a few inches from the rear end wall of the box and with the trunnions 12 and 16 disposed through the walls 7 of the box immediately adjacent to the bottom 6. Under ordinary circumstances, when it is not desired to attract the carriers attention, the staff 17 will be swung down into its horizontal position as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3. The arms 13 and 15 together with the horizontal portion 14 will then be disposed flat upon the bottom 6 of the box. "When mail is placed within the box it will of course rest upon the portion 14. 'hen the staff 17 is then raised to attract the carriers attention, the member 11 will rock upon the trunnions 12 and 1G, and the portion 14 will swing upwardly, raising the forward or outer end of the piece of mail matter so that it can be readily grasped by the carrier even though his hands be cold and numb or encumbered by gloves.

In order to prevent the staff from being blown down by the wind or other disturbance, I provide a novel friction means for preventing too easy swinging of the staff. I accomplish this result by bending the staff 17 intermediate its end and the trunnion 16, as shown at 19, so that when the member 11 is properly secured Within a mail box the stafl 17 Will bear firmly against the outside/Z ofthe box as shown in Fig. 2. The arm Will also bear against the inside of the Wall 7, thus providing efl'ectual friction means for preventing the. accidental displacement of the signal; Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a mailbox, a rod journaled transversely of the box adjacent the bottom and extending entirely thereacross, an offset-portion on saidv rod Within said box, and a signal stafif. onthe end of saiclrod exteriorly of said. box, said staff. being capable of being slxvungin a Vertical plane.

2.111 a mail box, a rod journaled trans- "versely of the box and extending. entirely formed on said rod. exteriorly of said box,

thereacross, an oflset portionformed onsaid rod W1th1n said box, and a signal staff.

, ing exterior-1y of said box, said stafl being copies oi this patent may be obtained for bent to frictionally engage the Wall of said box.

4. In a mail box, a rod journaled transversely of the box and extending entirely thereacross adjacent its bottom, an offset portion formed on said rod within said box, a signal staff formed on said rod exteriorly of said box, and means on said signal staff for frictionally engaging the exterior Wall of said box.

5. In a mail box, a rod journaled transversely of the box and extending entirely thereacross adjacent its bottom, an offset portion formed on said rod Within said box, and a signal staff formed on said rod exteriorly of said box, one side arm of said offset portion being bent to frictionally engage one interior Wall of said box.

6. Ina mailbox, a rod journaled transversely of the box and extending entirely thereacross adjacent its bottom, an offset portion formed on said rod Within the box, a signal stafi' formed on one end of said rod, and means for preventing accidental movement ofsaid rod, said means comprising bent portions formed on said signal stali' and theadjacent side arm of said otfset portion, said bent portions frictionally engaging the outer and inner sides respectively of oneside Wall of the box.

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature,.i n the presence of two Witnesses.

ALBERT H. ACKMAN.

Witnesses:

G120. W. RICHARDSON, W. T. GOBBLE.

five cents each. by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

